Didn't get up at 5 to watch it, so I'll have more insight after watching the replay which ends at 3. Weird thing for me from the box score is that Jerami Grant got a DNPCD and Pop's player from the Spurs that shouldn't even be on the team got about ten minutes and was a team worst -11 on +/-. Obviously that's just a blind observation not a take, since I haven't watched the game yet. I do find it odd that the guy with the best game today was a guy who arrived the night before... it tells you that these guys might want to stop worrying about team philosophies and whatever sets they're trying to run and just beat the guys in front of them because they are better basketball players. Again, I don't know, that's just loose conjecture from looking at a box score. I'm sure I'll have more to say that actually makes sense around 3.
Hoop, The '92 Dream Team figured their compatibility issues before they played anyone. This team lost to other teams in exhibition play. They have embarrassed themselves and need leadership and renewed pride.
I'm sorry to have to break it to everyone (including Ewing) but these guys aren't old enough to have been grown enough to have watched the original Dream Team. A few of the guys were toddlers in 92' and the rest hadn't been born. So I'm sure some of them are students of the game and have watched some footage of the greatest team ever assembled but they didn't grow up looking up to those guys. I do think most of these guys were old enough to be watching when the team won bronze in 2004 so I doubt they take for granted that winning gold is a given. That being said, he's right that the world outside of the U.S. has much better players in it and those players are part of the national team from a young age so they know how to play with each other. That doesn't cancel out the fact that our leaders in minutes were Jrue, Dame, Bam, Tatum, Dray, KD, LaVine and Booker while France was led in minutes by Evan Fournier, Nando de Colo, Nic, Gobert, Guerschon Yabusele, Thomas Heurtel and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot. I know that Keldon Johnson hurts this argument but lets forget about the obvious unprofessionalism that is Pop putting his guy on this team. Without Keldon Johnson, the rest of the roster is of the level that Gobert is the only player on France's roster that would make this Team USA roster.
I've seen those shooting mechanics before ... clearly modeled on Meyers! Right, like you're not loving every US loss. You really think people are dumb enough to not catch the theme of your posts just because you flood the forum with new topics?
I stand by it. I wouldn't retweet garbage like that. Plus you do hammer Dame when has has a rare down game. You do revel in it. Way more than you get up for his MANY awesome performances.
there's just a void in leadership on this team. Dame is seemingly too hesitant to take the reins. the best part of the game was hearing the NBA on NBC theme again.
I haven't watched the game yet, but one report said Durant & Outta da bayou were running the offense, and Dame was off ball most of the 1st. They said Dame looked uncomfortable without the ball in his hand to captain the offense. They also said when he did lead the offense he played better in the 2nd qtr. He was 3 0f 10, 3 0f 9 from 3. Most on the team shot poor with the exception of Levine, who was 3 of 6. Holiday lead the scoring but didn't shoot well either. I just think they're still felling each other out. But moving Dame out of the PG role doesn't make sense. C'mon Pop. I'm not seeing any chemistry between Durant and Dame at all. Durant can be a petulant child at times. I'm wondering if it's gonna work on this team.
I have not watched this game, but I heard France was doing all the could to blitz Dame and take the ball out of his hands, Kinds of sounds like teams defense against the Blazers. Someone other then Dame is going to beat us. For those that have watched this game, is that true?
He will need to take some heat if they don't turn it around. Not sure he really has the same fire anymore. LMA and Kawhi broke him.
Pop has had a great career. You could be right on those two players. Pop loves his guys. I know this, Dame has mad respect for Pops. He will do his all to see their team succeed. I look for Dame to be less passive going forward. Move outta the way Moe Fo's.
Yes, there is less talent at the rear end of roster. But let's face it, most of the best frontcourt players are Euro's now. Durant is a twig, and as good as offensive talent as there is, but he's not a great defender in the post. His size limits him. And i don't think he's a leader at all. Dame must assert his leadership abilities. If Durant cries, he cries.
The biggest misconception that people have of Dame is that he can't be a true PG (whatever that means). Dame is the best P&R player in the game and needs the ball in his hands to be effective. A P&R with Durant should be deadly but they hardly ever run it. You just see DHOs with Dame/Draymond or Dame shooting threes off the break without running any action. The offense doesn't make sense when the guys don't have the chemistry to run something so structured. It's what leads to plays like Dame passing up an open shot with his team trailing with 45 seconds left. He's trying to make the play the offense asks for instead of just using his intuition. One of the things I will admit to cause some issues is lack of a defensive 3. Teams are just zoning up the middle of the key and it's clogging lanes for Dame, so he's settling for more jumpers. This is true for guys like Lavine too. They need to figure this out. In the past, Team USA has been dominant defensively and gotten out in transition to compensate for any lack of cohesion on offense. This team sucks defensively.
But even this "least talented Team USA in decades" should be the best team in the Olympics/in the world. Of course the other teams are getting better and have several NBA players but they still should win the gold medal (I mean I would even argue that you can lose a game against a team like France but still in the end there is no excuse to not win gold).
